Browns win game, lose Hoyer, Bryant

Cleveland (WOIO) - Brian Hoyer may be on the sideline again, with an injured knee, but the Browns have a familiar backup, and Thursday night, Brandon Weeden showed he was up for the job.

Weeden replaced Brian Hoyer early in the first quarter after the starting quarterback went down with a right knee injury and rallied the Browns to a 37-24 win over the Buffalo Bills.

"You can only control what you can control," Weeden said after the game. "I'm just sticking my neck on the line for this football team. I prepared like I was starting, but it was tough with zero reps the last two weeks. I was a little rusty to start."

Booed loudly when he entered the game, and again when he showed some of that rust early on, Weeden recoverded by throwing a 47-yard pass to Greg Little to kickstart a third quarter drive, and then a 37-yard touchdown pass to Josh Gordon to complete the drive.

Browns safety T.J. Ward sealed the deal by intercepting rookie Jeff Tuel's pass and returning 44 yards for a TD with 1:44 left in the game.

C.J. Spiller had a 54-yard TD run and Fred Jackson had a pair of 1-yard TD runs for the Bills, who sputtered after losing their quarterback, E.J. Manuel, to a knee injury.

Travis Benjamin also made an impact with a spectacular 79-yard TD punt return in the first half for Cleveland.

The Browns also lost defensive lineman Desmond Bryant, who was hospitalized after experiencing shortness of breath.

Hoyer will undergo an MRI on his knee. The Browns are concerned he may have suffered torn ligaments.

The Browns, who have won three straight, are 3-2 for the first time in 12 years. They'll host the Detroit Lions one week from Sunday.